updated 05:17 pm EST, Sun November 25, 2012

Windows Phone update expected globally shortly after

Microsoft is set to launch Windows Phone 7.8 for the Chinese market in the "coming weeks." The comments of the Greater China Vice President of Microsoft made the comments, suggesting that a release of the upgrade for older handsets will be taking place in the rest of the world in the not too distant future.

In a conversation with Beijing newspaper BJD, the executive said that both WP7.8 and WP8 will coexist in the country, with WP8 handsets set to be launched in the region in the next month. Handsets from Nokia, Samsung, HTC, and Huawei are being prepared for the launch, and a number of other companies will be joining the WP8 fold next year. Smartphones will have some localized versions of apps, withMenafn.com claiming Chinese language speech recognition to be one of the main additions.

It is claimed that there are over 50,000 Chinese developers working on over 40,000 China-specific applications for WP8 handsets.